National Tour of Million Dollar Quartet Premieres in Fort Worth

Feb 26, 2013 01:21PM
● Published by tina

The National tour of Million Dollar Quartet premieres at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel

The national tour of the Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet, inspired by the
electrifying true story, will make its Fort Worth premiere March 5-10, at
Bass Performance Hall as part of the Broadway at the Bass supported by Sewell
Series.

The international Tony® Award-winning musical, Million Dollar Quartet is set on
December 4, 1956, when an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry
Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. Sam Phillips, the “Father
of Rock ‘n’ Roll” who was responsible for launching the careers of each icon,
brought the four legendary musicians together at the Sun Records storefront
studio in Memphis for the first and only time. The resulting evening became
known as one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll jam sessions in history.

Portraying these icons are, James Barry as Carl Perkins, David Elkins as Johnny Cash,Ben Goddard as Jerry Lee Lewis, and Cody Slaughter as Elvis Presley. Vince Nappoplays the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Sam
Phillips. The cast also features Kelly
Lamont as Dyanne, and musicians Billy
Shaffer (Fluke, drums), and Corey Kaiser (Jay Perkins, bass). Rounding out the company are:Katie Barton, Austin Cook, Scott Moreau, John Michael
Presney, David Sonneborn, and Billy Woodward.

The show is directed by Eric Schaefferand features a book by Colin Escottand Floyd Mutrux. The design team
includes: Derek McLane(scenic
design), Howell Binkley(lighting
design), Jane Greenwood(costume design), Kai Harada (sound design) and Chuck Mead(musical
arrangements and supervision).

Ben Goddard is appearing with the permission of Actors’
Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity
Association for its assistance of this production.

When the Broadway production opened in April 2010, critics
and audiences leapt to their feet in unanimous praise. The New York Times
called the show, “a buoyant new musical that whips the crowd into a frenzy,” New
York Magazine labeled it, “a dazzling raucous spectacle that sounds like a
million bucks,” and NY1 called it, “90 minutes of platinum grade
entertainment.” The musical continued its successful New York engagement at New
World Stages through June 2012.

The Chicago production of Million Dollar Quartet opened in 2008and is still playing
to packed houses at the Apollo Theatre. The West End production played at the
Noël Coward Theatre in London in 2011, and a Las Vegas production moves into
the Harrah’s Showroom beginning February 2013.

Million
Dollar Quartet won a Tony Award® for Best Performance by a
Featured Actor in a Musical and received a Tony Award® nomination
for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical (Colin Escott & Floyd Mutrux).
The show received an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor
in a Musical, a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Musical Revue and three
Drama League nominations including Distinguished Production of a Musical and
Distinguished Performance.

Million
Dollar Quartet is produced by Relevant Theatricals, James L. Nederlander,
John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology and Broadway Across America.